This invention relates to image reproducing systems which impart a three dimensional character to the image being viewed.
Three dimensional imaging and display systems have found practical use in computer graphics, simulation, diagnostic medicine, mapping and undersea operations. Potential use of three dimensional imaging and display in air traffic control and television is also under consideration. Such systems utilize optical techniques to produce images that appear three dimensional to the observer because of parallax. The optical techniques as presently known fall into four basic categories, consisting of binocular stereoscopy, volume scanning, holography, and geometrical optics.
The foregoing optical techniques suffer from different disadvantages such as the required use of special glasses, observation from a fixed location, use of a rapidly moving screen or lens, formation of transparent images only, required use of coherent monochromatic light, and extremely expensive fine grained viewing screens.
The aforementioned class of geometrical optics involves the use of ray optics in which the color and intensity of a ray pattern is reproduced as a function of the path of incidence of the rays impinging on a camera surface. Generally, many extremely small flat images projected through a corresponding number of small lenses are utilized in an image reproduction process, known as integral photography in this type of three dimensional imaging and display technique. Lenticular cylindrical lenses or fly's eye lenses and associated high-resolution CRT's thus utilized are expensive. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a three dimensional imaging and display system of the geometric optics type which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and drawbacks. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to avoid use of integral photography and the expense of lenses associated therewith and yet produce images capable of being observed with parallax.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an optical system for use in three dimensional real time imaging and display involving the use of any type of radiation, coherent or non-coherent, as a source of illumination including acoustical waves, electrons and most of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a three dimensional display system which allows viewers to observe three dimensional images in natural color and without the use of special glasses.